Thanks for all the great info on lowering my triglyceride, which is exactly my same problem. I will try this and see if I can get it down this way. Thanks again

People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves. - Salma Hayek

I've printed it out and I'm taking it with me to my doctor's office... I'd like to know why the fish oil is the only thing I've ever heard mentioned there... and why I'm not taking that instead of the drugs that have all those nasty side effects!

Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Life comes in specific increments, which we receive as a gift of one moment at a time. That's why it's called

...my mother used to tell me that living a healthy life is a juggling act... and occasionally even the really good jugglers drop a ball here and there~ even when they are doing their best! So your body plays tricks on you, just move forward with the next thing.

...Somewhere there's a thread where members were losing weight and their numbers were going up... and I have a memory like a seive lately so couldn't tell you the title, but there are some good suggestions if you can find it... *sigh*

Hope you get it figured out.

I'll be going in next month for another round of tests... Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Life comes in specific increments, which we receive as a gift of one moment at a time. That's why it's called

i have been measuring. in addition to my cholesterol, another problem i have is that i'm supposed to keep my calorie count up - i have a tendancy to not consume enough calories. so i have to make a point of eating at regular intervals during the day - when i'm stressed out, i don't eat.)

You have the power within you to do whatever it is you want to do. Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD

You are doing fabulously! Even though you are just learning now! Better late then never!

I think you need to learn what portions look like. Since you have mostly eaten on the go. Once you do that, it I'm thinking it will come easier. Plus, homemade foods are a very good thing. One of my favorites is lemon chicken (yummo). I use extra virgin olive oil when I use it.

i'm depressed. i was eating a lot more meat than i usually do to keep myself full because i was so hungry with the lowered carbs. bleh. i need to find a better balance - i never ate that much meat before.)

You have the power within you to do whatever it is you want to do. Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD

Hi Everyone, Well I just got off the phone with my doctors nurse. I thought I would get a call from the doc herself but guess the nurse returns calls. Anyway she talked to my doctor about my side effects of constipation with the lovastatin. I had increased my fiber only to find myself bloated and gassy!! not fun. Anyway I was not taking my pills as I should have since I didn't like the side effects. I was taking about 1/2 the dose. my numbers were not good total chol. 214 Trigs - 274 HDL - 56 LDL - 103 VLDL - 55

She told the nurse she wants me to go back taking the full dose and keep up the fiber since my body will adjust to it in time. (hopefully before my family moves out due to the smell!!) I've added some fish oil supplements in hopes that will help also. I did try taking some Beano last night after my corned beef and cabbage dinner and did not have to much gas. Maybe that will be an answer also. I would love to get off the meds totally but don't see that happening.

I've taken Tricor for a few years and it does work... there are some side effects (notably, nausea esp the first few weeks) but they are relatively easy to deal with compared with the statins... I can't take those at all. It will lower your triglycerides...

I had to stop taking mine because I had a gallbladder attack, and it wouldn't stay down. It isn't recommended for those with gallbladder issues... which I didn't know and my doctor never told me...

I had my gallbladder removed three weeks ago, but haven't started back on my regular meds yet, waiting to heal so my doc and I will know what was the surgery, what was the gallbladder, and what's being caused by the meds.

I hate starting over! LOL

Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Life comes in specific increments, which we receive as a gift of one moment at a time. That's why it's called

Went to the doctor today to see what to do about my high triglycerides and cholesterol. She put me on Tricor. If anyone is taking this, is it working for you? She didn't take blood because I didn't fast. I'm to follow up in 6 weeks...

She said it's due to all the meds I'm on. She suggests I see an endocrinologist to see what meds I can pair down...I am very nervous about this because I am stable on what I am on. She is concerned about liver toxicity. I'm glad I went. Take Care All.

Welcome to this team Rebecca-PMA! I'm new but can tell you it's one of my favorite teams. Like you, there is a history of heart disease in my family. My mother passed away 5 months ago from heart failure/cancer (double-whammy). We both had heart surgery (by-passes) 2 years apart. Also I too suffer from diabetes. So Good luck to you too in your quest!

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

Hi I am new here. I work for the State Health Dept. in VA. I am not a Dr. or nutritionist but I can tell you that trig. are directly affected by how much and what you eat. When you lose wt. your trig. number will go down. Trig. are fat that is floating around in your blood. My chol. is 234 and my trig. are 374. My Dr. is very concerned about the latter as normal is below 160. I have also found that by eating protein with every meal with some carbs I am not as hungry and can eat fewer calories each day. I too have diabetes in my mother's family and heart attacks. So now I am REALLY paying attention to what goes into my mouth and hopefully my bloodwork will improve! Thanks for the info. on the salad dressings.

I'm a newbie to the site also and have been doing research online regarding natural help for cholesterol and triglycerides. Have found foods like nuts, apples, oats, green tea and green veggies (ie spinach, brussels sprouts) all have healing powers. Also garlic helps but have to eat 2-3 cloves raw every day! My suggestion is break up eating the cloves throughout the day instead of at once! Good luck to ALL of us on winning this battle.

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

hi wondering if the bile sequestrant effect blood pressure medicine? is there side effects? you said you can get it over the counter? how much did you take and how often? mty triglycerides are 177 id did eat alot sweets and carbs around christmas time i know that did it because before it was 87. did it effect other levels ? can you by it in smaller bags? how long did you take it before your levels went down? i will give the 9 grain oatmeal a try. thanks for your help pat

Unfortunately, triglycerides are something our bodies manufacture from what we eat, and are not as far as I know found in food sources except as individual building blocks~ so the nutrition tracker is only helpful in measuring the things that go into our bodies and not what comes out of it...

I'm trying to find a way to suggest to SP that we could use a way to track blood glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol test results... haven't yet figured out how but I'll learn. Meanwhile, I've been tracking some of it on my weight tracker and some on the notes in the nutrition tracker. It's awkward to use for this, but better than nothing...

If anyone figures it out, let us know and we'll all join in the request!... and I'll keep trying. It's just slow right now, I'm still healing so it may be a bit... Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Life comes in specific increments, which we receive as a gift of one moment at a time. That's why it's called

I have high triglycerides (over 500) and I signed up for the diet tracker, but I didn't really see any where to put this health factor in. I have just started a few weeks ago on medication to reduce overall cholesterol, but I really need to know what are the best foods to eat, what foods to avoid, etc. I am new here, I just joined tonight...so I need to know how to make sure that the high triglycerides are factored into my diet program...Can someone please guide me? I have to get serious about my health...my Dad passed away a few years ago and he had diabetes and heart disease. I cannot afford health insurance and am doing good to be able to go to my Doctor once a year...Any suggestions on how I can make sure that my high triglycerides are factored into my daily diet menu? Also any suggestions on foods to eat? My husband is VERY controlling and will not bend on all the unhealthy foods he eats, but I need to change my unhealthy eating habits NOW! Any help will be appreciated!!!

Triglycerides ARE affected by carbs~ even small amounts. I get pretty sick when I try to fast, so my tests are done non-fasting~ which means I will always have slightly elevated readings... but the doctor told me that fasting won't have that big an effect on the overall cholesterol~ just the triglycerides. I eat the same thing every time I'm tested so the results will at least have consistency: I have 5 grams of carbs mixed with a little protein. My triglycerides are half what they used to be (from 720 down to 333) but still...

And I AM diabetic~ have been for about 17 yrs... and you were close, its an HBa1c. It makes sense when you think about it~ carbohydrate malabsorption, y'know...

Keep on posting, it doesn't matter who you are, you're going to learn new things! Hm. I love it! LOL Kathy

Edited by: I.M.MAGIC at: 3/5/2008 (20:04)

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Life comes in specific increments, which we receive as a gift of one moment at a time. That's why it's called

Back years ago I had hypoglycemia (56 in the third hour/glucose tol test), was on a diet (didn't really need to lose back then) but then it was okay, got better. So here I am, heavy, with blood glucose, that goes up high then normal then down, but I do need the Hb1ac (if I have that right). My Nurse practitioner just ordered the glucose reading and the others. It wasn't low low, just a little low in the 60's.

to the best of my knowledge, a cholesterol lowering drug like lipitor will lower your cholesterol AND your triglycerides.

with me, my cholesterol is at an okay level - 183 but my triglycerides are 485. so unless i can lower them by eating less carbs, i will have to go on a bile sequestrant - in other words, i don't need lipitor because i don't need to lower my overall cholesterol and my doctor said she recommends only doing the bile sequestrant because there are fewer side effects.

high triglycerides put you at risk for diabetes and pancreatitis. with the high/low blood glucose it sounds like you might be hypoglycemic. did your doctor mention that possiblity?

i'm hypoglycemic. if i eat too many carb all at once, i get really shakey and my heart races. by lowering my carbs to 45% [i consume 1,800 calories per day and less than 202 grams of carbs], i'm learned to control my hypoglycemia. if i eat too many carbs, i get that high and then that crash.)

You have the power within you to do whatever it is you want to do. Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD

My numbers went from 517 to 814 taken 3 weeks ago. I've been watching what I eat since Dec 12. I have a doctors appointment in a week to see what we can do for this. Could someone shed some light on possible remedy's to lower triglycerides?

I tastes sooooo much better than the regular Quaker Oatmeal and the sodium is much less as well. We couldn't believe the difference in the taste. We buy it in the 25 pound bags as it is so much cheaper. Without adding anything to it, it only has 379 calories per serving! Add a couple pieces of toast, some raisins, cinnamon and a dab of honey and your are filled up for hours!

Didn't make it on the study. My Trig. were well over 150 when I was on the last study. The Dr. felt I would more than qualify for the Study because of them. Was told Friday that I didn't as they had dropped to 138!! I can only atribute it to the 9 grain oatmeal we have found and been eatting about 3 times a week. One of the grains is flax. It's nice to have the number down but would have been nice to have been able to have the ECG, Physical, Glucose test and MBF tests.

I've been diabetic for years, and have to deal with hereditary hyperlipidemia now too. Anyone with lipid problems needs help planning a new lifestyle that includes good nutrition advice~ and with diabetes it's even more important!

Thanks for reminding us all~ and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Kathy

Edited by: I.M.MAGIC at: 1/1/2008 (10:23)

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Life comes in specific increments, which we receive as a gift of one moment at a time. That's why it's called

Hi Browneyes, I know just what you mean. I had been told lose weight - but not told how. Cut calories, follow the common diet suggestions didn't work for me. What is working is working with a nutritionist. I meet with her weekly. I'm on an eating plan that is different than I have tried before and it is working. I've lost 35 pounds since September.

Unfortunately, my triglycerides are still high, but I know they will come down as I continue to lose weight.

The doctors don't seem to understand nutrition other than in a general way. Maybe getting personal help from a dietician/nutritionist will make you feel better.

BROWNEYES, Yes, that diabetic education will probably help... and I understand that there is one medication, I think it's Crestor, that seems to work with triglycerides better than the other cholesterol meds... you might want to go on line to see a little more about it so you can understand better when you talk to the educators...

And there is a Managing Diabetes team, too, that you may want to check into-- lots of helpful people there! Kathy

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL

Life comes in specific increments, which we receive as a gift of one moment at a time. That's why it's called

I also was looking for a way to lower the triglycerides. Everything seems to be "coming apart" for me. I have the diabetes history, father and grandmother. I have recently been diagnosed with pre-diabetes! Oh No. I have all the classic problems, it seems. Had a quadruple bypass surgery, take blood pressure med, cholesterol, etc. The Dr. says lose weight and exercise more. But they never say what to eat! I'm going to a pre-diabeles class in January maybe that will help, I'm counting on it. Anyway, thanks for the info here.

If you think you CAN or if you think you CAN'T, you're right!! Just "Do it".

this is going to be a bit tricky for me because i'm supposed to be upping my caloric intake but lowering my carbohydrates. but at the same time, i have to be careful not to increase my overall cholesterol which i worked so hard to lower.

i can do this, it will just take some careful planning.)

You have the power within you to do whatever it is you want to do. Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD

(jadzeamay, that's really interesting. my dad has done quite a few studies for various drugs so i had a little experience with them.

i'm glad with your lack of insurance, this can help you out.

diabetes runs in my family and i know high glycerides are often a sign of diabetes but so far my sugar levels have been okay. i do have low blood sugar problems from time to time - especially when i don't eat.

good luck to you.)

You have the power within you to do whatever it is you want to do. Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD

The first study was for Merck for high cholesterol this one is for Metabolex, Inc. They start out by giving you a Physical, lab work ECG, measurements for body mass, bone density etc. The papers say the initial visit will take about 3 hours to collect all the info and do tests to see if you qualify. The meds they give you to test you won't know if they are a placebo or not. You never will. Then you go back for blood work at scheduled times and see the Dr. to report any side effects etc. As this one is concentrating on the Triglycerides and weight loss, I'm not sure how many different types of pills I would have to take. The last was 4 different kinds everyday. You also have to take your meds with you each visit as they have to count them to make sure you took them all. Then they give you new unopened bottles. The papers also say they will do the Glucose test to see where you stand for Diabetis. Lots of info and a free physical since we don't have ins. and I can't afford one. I hope I qualify for the study as it would be nice to have a Dr. checking my weight losing and get even more benificial information and maybe even new information printouts I can share!

Thank you for the heads up on the salad dressings and numbers info. Don't know what mine are but am signing up for another Cholesterol study that will concentrate on the Tryglicorides and weight loss and since they do lab work to see if you qualify, I will be able to see what they are. You aren't allowed to know the numbers during and after the study, just the ones before. So at least I will find them out and see what the Cholesterol numbers are since I did the last study last summer or spring.

This is good information to learn from. Take care and thanks for being a good example to us in all your efforts. I will keep you in prayer for better numbers and health!

Best,

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

My grace is enough for you, for where there is weakness my power is shown more completely. Therefore, I have made up my mind to be proud of my weakness, because they mean a deeper experience of the power of Christ. I can even enjoy weakness, insults privations, persecutions and difficulties for Christ's sake for my weakness makes me strong in HIM. May I always carry a heart of humility and humbleness before Jesus.

to give you a brief history, i've always had high cholesterol [225-235] and high triglycerides. i started exercising regularly and i managed to lower my cholesterol to 183 but my triglycerides skyrocketed to 485. my doctor says when your triglycerides start getting around 500 you start running the risk of developing pancreatitis.

i went in today determined not to leave with a statin prescription.

basically, my doctor said i did a good job lowering my overall cholesterol but we really need to stay on top of my triglycerides. since i'm determined to do this without drugs, she suggested i try to lower my carbs for the next few months and then re-test in march.

if i can't seem to get my triglycerides down on my own, she suggests i consider a bile sequestrant like lopid or questran. she said she thinks for me, questran will be the best option. she said it comes in a powder form and you add it to a liquid and drink it. she said the downside to questran is that you have to drink a lot of water when you take it but that it's really safe - so safe that it can be purchased over the counter.

so i'm feeling a little better. she also said to avoid low-fat dressings because they replace the fat with sugar and instead use south beach dressings.)

You have the power within you to do whatever it is you want to do. Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD

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